


A Small Note of Sympathy

by JellyfishPublishing



Category: Classicaloid (Anime)
Genre: Also Sad Kanae, Bad video game references, Everyone is sad but it's okay, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, Sad Chopin somewhere in there
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-02-03
Updated: 2018-02-03
Packaged: 2019-03-13 01:23:04
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,033
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13559682
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/JellyfishPublishing/pseuds/JellyfishPublishing
Summary: No man is an island, but Chopin likes to think he's perfectly fine being a single-player campaign.But he can't help but notice that Kanae hasn't been herself lately.





	A Small Note of Sympathy

**Author's Note:**

> I wrote this a few hours before Episode 15 of Season 2 and it was mostly on a whim of wondering how Kanae was going to feel Wagner just left home. I also wanted to write a Chopin fic because I wanted to see how I would feel writing him and his dynamic with Kanae. I hope you enjoy~!

Chopin likes playing games by himself.

Sure, he’s played games with people around the world, played multiplayer enough to know when he’s going to have to suck it up and be a team player or support when the team needs it. 

He prefers, however, to play with no one. Just his own adventure, his own time and effort put into the experience. Chopin knows the many ways people can let him down, can kill-steal, can mess around when he’s been signaling that he needs a heal or when they really need to be on the objective but instead they’re running in, head first, like a bunch of—

Anyway, he knows what it’s like to help out others and get nothing in return. He knows how exhausting it is to be around others, off and online, and he knows, most of all, that he’d rather solo than group up anytime.

Which makes his current thought process very unnerving.

He can’t help but notice Kanae has been rather melancholic since her brother—–since Wagner left. 

He’s not sure if the others can see it yet. Beethoven and Mozart were too gleeful about getting their rooms back, only to lose them to Claskey Klasky a day or so later, Schubert’s mood and overall attention was always at the mercy of his beloved senpai, and Liszt, well, she’s been too busy with that new job of hers to notice. Sousuke has been too preoccupied with Bądarzewska to even try and look at another girl and, on top of all of that, the dreaded Dvo-chan came back and….he’d rather not even ask if he’s paid any attention to anyone.

Either way, Chopin figures the only reason he’s noticed is because he’s neither very busy nor very emotional.

She just seems so…listless. She goes about her chores, shuffling from room to room, but she’s lost the snappy movement in her steps, the quickened work ethic she once engaged in and, perhaps the most telling, is that she doesn’t even hum anymore.

Chopin knows Kanae can’t sing, so few can without lessons, but he would hear, sitting on the ground with his back to the banister, up on the second story, grinding out his character on his PSP, the small sounds of her humming whatever song came to her head. She certainly acts like she doesn’t like any of the people who occupy her house but more often than not, the only music she ever seemed to have on her mind was their music; from their previous lives. Chopin never brought it up, uninterested in invoking any sort of wrath from the overly strict Landlady, but if he heard the slow, somewhat clumsy, beginnings of his Nocturne hummed through the house in one of the more silent, Sunday afternoons, well, perhaps, he enjoyed what little pleasure he took from that.

But even that is gone.

He doesn’t really want to get involved. He doesn’t really want to admit it out loud, but he does care, he just wishes someone else would handle it. He’s not good with people, he’s made that well known multiple times. And what if she’s really sad? What if he confronts her about it and she bursts into tears and he’s left standing in the worst predicament of his life, like he decided to fight the third gym without even a Machop on his team?

He’d be dead for sure. At the very least, he’d have to call Liszt and have her calm Kanae down while he holed up in his room for the rest of week. It makes him want to decline the challenge, to ignore the side-quest and head for a better one, one that he knows for certain he can win. 

For a while, he does just that. He tries not to play in the living room if he knows she’s cleaning on the bottom floor. He tries not to linger anywhere for too long in case she’ll wander in. He makes sure he doesn’t look at her for too long, at her despondent face or her lowered shoulders or any wetness in her eyes.

Yet he should know, you can’t ignore a boss fight for long.

Her mother, Himeka, comes over one day with her gifts, her gestures and speech flowing and beautiful and free. Wagner, in so many ways, was her son too, but Chopin doesn’t see even the hint of the same sadness that’s plagued Kanae. Chopin doesn’t really want to have an opinion on the woman—after all, her gift of the day was some chocolates she happened to grab on her way from some new place she visited and she even had the ones he liked—-but he’s a little wary of a woman who seems so warm yet can act so cold. 

Cold or not, her gifts bring all of them to the foyer and her conversation keeps the rest of them interested and occupied. Everyone seems to be hanging off of their seat in whatever story Kanae’s mother is telling but Chopin is more interested in his game; Himeka’s visit causing him to pause in the middle of gold farming for the new event gear and having him leave his game behind. He looks around to see if anyone would notice his disappearance, taking note himself that Kanae seems to be mysteriously missing, and carefully slips away.

He makes sure to keep his footsteps silent as he does it, rather hoping Liszt doesn’t immediately notice his absence and blow his cover, before rounding the corner. He breathes a sigh of relief and makes his way to the organ, giving a glance to the kitchen before hurrying.

Kanae was probably making tea, she had seemed insistent on it when her mother brought the chocolate but not any drinks to go with it. 

Perhaps Himeka wasn't cold then, maybe just thoughtless.

He makes his way to the organ room, seeing his 3DS on the bench and finds himself smiling before he can feel embarrassed about it. He grabs it and flips it up, giving a sigh of relief before plopping back down. He hadn’t really meant to come to the organ room initially, but like the others, he always feels drawn here time and time again. More often than not he found the others napping, cooking, or just hanging out here. Kanae came here the most but if he was quick, he could avoid seeing her.

Besides, it’s not like she would just leave her mother and the rest of them alone when—

Suddenly, there are footsteps coming his way.

He freezes, his natural instincts having him glance about to hide, before remembering that he didn’t bring his box down ever since he started using his real world stealth skills to avoid a certain landlady.

The footsteps give an abrupt halt and he looks up. There, standing at the door way, staring back at him, was a teary eyed Kanae.

He feels himself pale at the sight of her glossy eyes. She looks surprised but not with his same level of terror, but the way she quickly looks down, her face heating up, he can tell she’s not happy that he caught her right here, right now.

They both stay quiet for a very long time. Chopin’s eyes flickering from her to the game and back again; Kanae standing there, clenched fists, lower lip wobbling, as she keeps her eyes firmly down at the wood flooring. Neither has the courage to look up. Chopin’s game is still playing, the soft flute-like music from the grassy, forest area the only thing continuing even though its player and his unexpected guest remain frozen in their awkwardness.

Finally, Kanae turns around, taking a deep breath, “I-! I was just cleaning up! I have some dust, that’s all!”

Chopin seriously doubts that dust could make her cry.

“And I was just coming here to clean up! Mother was telling a story so…” Her voice trails off. Her voice shakes a bit at the end and Chopin winces, his shoulders stiffening again as he waits. He’s not really sure what to expect at this point, he would almost prefer her yelling or scolding him or nagging him. At least that would be normal, at least that would mean he wouldn’t have to watch her stay silent and sad in the kitchen, or linger by Wagner’s old room or—

She sniffs. It’s a wet little sound, the kind a child makes right before they burst into tears.

Chopin looks down at his game and back at her, grimacing and debating, before he gives a long sigh. 

He closes the 3Ds again, the music cutting off as he gets up.

“Ah….mmm,” he says, or tries to say. He winces again and feels his stomach sink to his knees. He doesn’t like this, he doesn’t know how to do this. The last time he did this….the other person betrayed the understanding he thought they had. He had taken a critical hit and he’s not sure if he has a phoenix down for the next time.

She turns around though, looking at him again with those glossy eyes, and Chopin hesitates before he tries to push through.

“You, ah, seem sad,” he mumbles, pursing his lips, and waits.  
Her eyes go wide and she blinks, sniffling again before she looks down at the floor, shaking her head.

“M-me? Ahaha do I?” She gives a little incredulous laugh before shaking her head, waving her hands, “No, no, I’m fine! It’s just…..been quieter! Yeah! That’s right! It’s been quieter around here!”

Chopin seriously doubts that. Not only do they have three new housemates, but two of them had been rather salty for days, only just recently lifting their dark clouds slightly. Even in the more suffocating atmosphere, everyone made what appeared to be more noise and commotion. The only one who’s been quieter, who seems to have nothing but silence hang off of her, is Kanae.

She continues, ignoring Chopin’s silence, “It probably shouldn’t be! I mean Tchaiko-chan and Bara-chan came to live with us! But it’s been so quiet since Wa-kun—”

She stops. Kanae just stops, like her own words just struck her. She stands there and Chopin watches, horror growing, as it all falls apart. Her glossy eyes are even worse and her shoulders start to shake, her attempt at her normal expression cracking and crumbling. She curls her body slightly, clenching her fists, like she’s trying to keep it all back. Tears slide down her cheeks. Kanae sniffles and breaks off a sob, pressing a fist to her mouth as her whole body shakes under the strain. Chopin feared this very scenario but, standing in front of her as he painfully realizes that Kanae, despite all of her brash and no nonsense attitude, is still just a fifteen year old girl, he realizes it’s so much worse.

The pain on her face is hauntingly familiar.

She sniffles again and closes her eyes, more tears streaming down.

“I need,” she’s sniffing, her words breaking off in place as her voice cracks, “I need to clean.”

Chopin leaves quickly, running up the stairs and climbs back into his darkened room.

——————-

As he dies to the same boss for the eighth time that night, he fights the urge to run far, far away from the house.

He knows what to do, or really, he has an idea of how to fix this. 

But to do it…..it would be soloing a raid. No potions, little heals, all with weak MP and defense stats.

What kind of idiot would he have to be?

But Kanae’s face comes back to him, the wide vulnerable expression on her face. The sight of it….he’s seen that expression before. No, he’s…..he’s had that expression before.

His mind calls up a face, a fragile and sickly face, but with eyes that glowed like the burning stars during the darkest night.

Emilia….

——————-

He’s been on the phone for a solid two hours now.

It had taken him almost three hours just to find the courage to call. He busied himself before, writing long and scathing messages to the forums he liked to frequent, trolling and lying about information to some of the nastier accounts he had gotten to know. Then he stared at the phone for a good half an hour, his hand hovering over it, before going back to his game. The guilt, however, had been something of a status effect; every battle he had gotten into had been a continuous GAME OVER screen.

So he picked up the phone and dialed the number. From there it had been a never ending series of transfers, talking to what felt like a thousand strangers. He couldn’t tell if it was better they couldn’t see his face and couldn’t stare into him and see that he was worthless, NEET-freak, gamer and his Fantasie Impromptu was just a ugly copy of Moonlight Sonata and how he ran away from the company and how he was nothing but a failure—! Yet, from the way his heart raced at every pause they gave, at every confused murmur at trying to put him through and every time they had him repeat that, no, he wasn’t part of a label company and, no, he wasn’t trying to get a contract deal or schedule an appointment to get recognized and, no, he didn’t exactly have any family in the company, but had to keep repeating, and stuttering, that he must speak with the person in charge.

“What exactly do you want to talk about with the Chief Producer?” One lady asked, whose voice was soft and calm, but his anxious mind could only hear the imagined exasperation lingering in her tone and the scowling face she had to be making. He stammers, fumbles, but finally finds some kind of barring as he replies.

“I-I’m here because…i-it’s about his sister.”

“Sister?” The lady repeats and Chopin forces his shaking thumb to not slam on the end call button.

“Yes…! His–It’s about Otowa Kanae.”

The lady hums and asks him to hold. He feels his stomach bottom out as he’s put on hold for the seventh time in this never ending phone call and his eyes glance to the clock. The website their business hours were between 9-5, so they will stay open for another hour or so, but maybe they’re trying to make him wait until they have to tell him they’re closing? Then he won’t be able to call again—no he couldn’t do this all over again, he doesn’t have it in him! And then she’ll walk around, miserable and crying in the organ room and he’ll see Emilia in his head every day and then—!

The line clicks to life and someone’s talking so loud and so fast, Chopin is startled out of his own thoughts with a squeak.

“Where is she?! Where’s Nee-san? What’s happened to her?! What did you lot do?!?!?!”

There’s a small, nasty part of Chopin that wants to remind the voice that it’s not their fault she’s been sad lately, but he bites that back. Mostly because he’s trying to find it in him to say anything.

“She’s fine,” he starts, swallowing thickly, taking a shaky breath, “she’s just very….sad.”

There’s a long pause before the voice lowers gently, tone nearly heartbreaking, “….sad?”

“Yes,” Chopin says, taking a few more breaths. It’s a little easier now. This isn’t some stranger whose face he’s never seen, some new person who will judge him or ridicule or force their attention onto him. This is Wagner, Wa-kun, who was the obnoxious, spoiled little brat who made his life intolerable. He’s angrier than he is nervous, but he bites that back too, if only because her teary face is coming to the forefront.

“….Who is this?” 

Chopin can’t help but rolls his eyes at that one.

“Chopin……Fryderyk Chopin,” He says, his voice lowering at his first name. It’s strange on his tongue, he doesn’t use it much. The very thought of his first name sounding strange to him rubs him wrong but it also feels correct; two versions of himself separated by something so small. A PVP with himself, how strange.

“Eh? The little NEET boy who would whine if his internet went out?” Calls the voice on the other line. Chopin’s neck and ears burn; he wishes he could bury his face of slam the phone. He makes a loud shriek and falls back, rolling on the floor a little from the horrid insult. He thinks of a billion curses he’ll add to the ARKHE forum after this but he’s run out of any and all patience.

“I-! You’re cruel and a terribly obnoxious brat!” Chopin cries and all he hears is a “hmph” on the other side. But he’s not done.

“I only called because she cried!”

There’s silence on the other line but Chopin must keep going if he’s ever going to get it out.

“She’s been moping and not humming and it’s been hectic over here! You just up and left and she’s—!”

Chopin closes his eyes and thinks of Emilia, sitting in bed, the summer days drifting by her as she wasted away. He sees Emilia and his elder sister leaving, Emilia, with hope thick in her voice and sparkling in her eyes, promising that she would get better. Emilia, laughing and smiling as they told stories with the people all around them, hanging off their every word, and turning to him with her bright, yet delicate eyes. Emilia, who made up little rhymes whenever he stared helplessly at her blood-soaked handkerchiefs.

Emilia, the girl who never came back to him.

“….I had a sister.”

It hurts. It hurts like losing Jolly hurt. It hurts because the pain is double folded, crashing against him with a whole other lifetime’s worth of pain, one wave after another. That’s what pain becomes, after a while, it just piles up on top of what already hurts and cuts into the same old scars he thought had healed. It reminds him that it may never really heal, not when he still keeps caring.

“She…..she was my baby sister. Emilia. She was sickly, like me, and she….she never made it. They wanted to cure her but they just took her summer away and she….I…”

Chopin closes his eyes again, gasping. He hisses a breath and lays a hand on his chest, vision swimming for a minute. He thinks of the way Kanae clenched up her fists, the way she fought to keep her mouth closed.

“….Kanae had people leave. Her Grandmother left, just like Emilia. Her father left…..her mother comes and goes…..she…..she probably felt like…..”

Chopin’s losing momentum. He’s losing the burst of energy from before, Emilia’s face and the pain he both did and did not feel is building up in him, his throat closing as he struggles to speak through trembling lips.

“….you…..you should….call her…..so you’re not…..another person….who left her behind.”

He shuts off the call and lays the phone down. He breathes, in and out, and feels his chest shake before the first sob slips out.

He’s right, he really can’t deal with people after all.

———————————

He sleeps in late the next day, even though he slunk off to bed after dinner, purposely not looking up at Kanae. Liszt had asked him before dinner if he was alright but he hadn’t really wanted to talk. He told her he was just tired, which oddly enough had worked, and she let him be.  
But as his fingers fly about the keyboard, typing the last of any lingering, nasty feelings in one, short burst as he worked to finish up a quick forum post before he got back to the game he’s playing, he hears a knock at his door.

He blinks, lowering his headphones, and sighs. He stands up, dusting some of his clothes off, and shuffles his way to the door. He’s expecting to see waves of golden hair and lipstick red lips, but when he’s met with brown eyes and a quirked eyebrow, he just stands there, staring.

“….Ah?” He asks, tilting his head. He’s pretty sure rent was due next week.

Kanae takes a deep breath and moves her hands behind her back, the plastic bag she’s holding swinging back behind her legs as she looks down, almost….bashfully?

“I got a call from….from Wa-kun this morning.”

Chopin’s eyes widen underneath his bangs and he blinks again. 

Kanae looks back up at him and she’s got this look in her eyes, even as she says, “He told me he just called to check up on me and Mom and Dvo-chan–” Kanae continues despite the way Chopin scowls at the name, “—and he wanted me to know…..that he’ll keep calling to check up on me. He may be busy but….not too busy for family.”

“……Mmm.” He responds, lamely, and tries to look all the world like he has no idea why she wanted to tell him of all people this news. Her quirked eyebrow is back and neither of them look like they’re buying it.  
Kanae moves her hands back in front of her, bringing the plastic bag up and hands it to him. He takes it from her and opens it, parting his bangs a bit so he’s not misreading any of the labels. There’s just two things inside, the colorful rainbow can of what could only be Boss Coffee and what looks like the plastic wrapping of his favorite, convenience store bread. He raises his head to her and she’s shrugging, looking away like she doesn’t care. 

“I went to the store and I saw those things were on sale and just thought I would get it.”

She doesn’t say how he’s the one of the few people in the house who even likes to drink canned coffee, especially since Sousuke only buys Fire brand. She doesn’t say how she knows it’s his favorite flavor of bread either. From how much she doesn’t say, he’s almost surprised she doesn’t instead say, “I didn’t get this for you, idiot!”

But when he looks at her, she’s definitely got some pink cheeks to show how much she knows.

“….Thank you,” He says, somewhat blushing himself, slightly amazed about how much he means it. Kanae takes a sharp inhale and turns around quickly, her back to him as she takes a step forward. 

She stops. She turns back, cheeks really pink now, and stares at him intensely. He freezes, waiting for perhaps some yelling or stamping of her foot.

“…..Thank you.” She repeats, her eyes glowing, before she clears her throat and adds, “By the way, Rent is due next week so don’t be late. Also–” She gives a quick glance behind him and scrunches up her nose, “make sure your room is clean. I’m not cleaning up any mess you make!”

With that, she marches off, proudly holding her head high as she hurries off to her next destination. Chopin watches her leave, keeping himself in check before she turns the corner, and then he starts chuckling, shaking his head.

Yep, Sousuke was right, definitely a Tsundere. 

He goes back into his room, walking over to his computer and sits back down comfortably. He takes out the coffee first and snaps open the tab, taking a sip. He rereads what he was already writing in the forum post:  
That WAGNER guy is a HACK! His songs are all botched and he’s not as good as everybody says he is! He probably lipsyncs! He totally ruined Saltkey Klassey’s gig because he wanted to get more popular without any competition! What a HACK!!!!

He takes another sip and he minimizes the screen and looks back at the game he’s playing. He stares at the pause screen for a moment before saving his progress, going back to the loading screen. He’ll play a round online for a while instead.

…..Then he’ll send the post in.

Brat still has to pay for the NEET comment.


End file.
